engine SUBARU OUTBACK 2012 5.G Owner's Manual

3-14Instruments and controls
&Charge warning light
If this light illuminates when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the charging
system is not working properly.
If the light illuminates while driving or does
not turn off after the engine starts, stop the
engine at the first safe opportunity and
check the alternator belt. If the belt is
loose, broken or if the belt is in good
condition but the light remains illuminated,
contact your nearest SUBARU dealer
immediately. &Oil pressure warning light
CAUTION
Do not operate the engine with the
oil pressure warning light on. This
may cause serious engine damage.
If this light illuminates when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the engine oil
pressure is low and the lubricating system
is not working properly.
If the light illuminates while driving or does
not turn off after the engine starts, stop the
engine at the first safe opportunity and
check the engine oil level. If the oil level is
low, add oil immediately. If the engine oil is at the proper level but the light remains
illuminated, contact your nearest
SUBARU dealer immediately.
& Engine low oil level
warning light
This light illuminates when the engine oil
level decreases to the lower limit. The
illuminating conditions and remaining oil
level are shown in the following items.
2.5 L models:.when the ignition switch is in the “ON ”
position but the engine is not running:
approximately 1.9 US qt (1.8 liters, 1.6
Imp qt) . while the engine is running: approxi-
mately 3.2 US qt (3.0 liters, 2.6 Imp qt)
3.6 L models: . when the ignition switch is in the “ON ”
position but the engine is not running:
approximately 4.0 US qt (3.8 liters, 3.3
Imp qt) . while the engine is running: approxi-
mately 5.6 US qt (5.3 liters, 4.7 Imp qt)
If the engine low oil level warning light
illuminates while driving, park the vehicle
at a safe and level location, and then
check the engine oil level. When the
engine oil level is not within the normal
range, refill with engine oil if necessary. Refer to
“Engine oil ”F 11-12.
If the warning light does not turn off after
refilling with engine oil or the warning light
illuminates even though the engine oil
level is within the normal range, have the
system checked by a SUBARU dealer.
NOTE . The engine low oil level warning
light will not turn off immediately even
if you replace or add engine oil. It will
turn off only when the vehicle is idling
and the engine is warmed up comple-
tely.. When the vehicle is considerably
inclined on an uphill or steep slope, the
warning light may illuminate tempora-
rily due to the movement of engine oil
in the engine. & AT OIL TEMP warning
light (AT and CVT mod-els)
If this light illuminates when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the transmis-
sion fluid temperature is too hot.
If the light illuminates while driving, im-
mediately stop the vehicle in a safe place
and let the engine idle until the warning
light turns off.

!Transmission control system warn- ing
If the “AT OIL TEMP ”warning light flashes
after the engine has started, it may
indicate that the transmission control
system is not working properly. Contact
your nearest SUBARU dealer for service
immediately.
& Low tire pressure
warning light (U.S. spec. models)
When the ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”position, the low tire pressure warn-
ing light will illuminate for approximately 2
seconds to check that the tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) is functioning
properly. If there is no problem and all tires
are properly inflated, the light will go out.
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold
and inflated to the inflation pressure
recommended by the vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of
a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pres-
sure label, you should determine the
proper tire inflation pressure for thosetires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) that illuminates
a low tire pressure telltale when one or
more of your tires is significantly under-
inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should
stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper
pressure. Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and
can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle
’s handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire maintenance,
and it is the driver ’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if
under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with
a TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate
when the system is not operating properly.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is com-
bined with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a malfunction,
the telltale will flash for approximately one
minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists. When the malfunction indicator is illuminated, the
system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of
reasons, including the installation of re-
placement or alternate tires or wheels on
the vehicle that prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing
one or more tires or wheels on your
vehicle to ensure that the replacement or
alternate tires and wheels allow the TPMS
to continue to function properly.
Should the warning light illuminate stea-
dily after blinking for approximately one
minute, have the system inspected by
your nearest SUBARU dealer as soon as possible.
WARNING
If this light does not illuminate
briefly after the ignition switch is
turned ON or the light illuminates
steadily after blinking for approxi-
mately one minute, you should have
your Tire Pressure Monitoring Sys-
tem checked at a SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible.
If this light illuminates while driving,
never brake suddenly and keep
driving straight ahead while gradu- Instruments and controls
3-15
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function warning, refer to“Brake system
warning light ”F 3-17.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as
described in the following conditions,
the ABS system may be considered normal. . The warning light illuminates right
after the engine is started but turns off
immediately, remaining off.. The warning light remains illumi-
nated after the engine has been started,
but it turns off when the vehicle speed
reaches approximately 8 mph (12km/h).. The warning light illuminates during
driving, but it turns off immediately and
remains off.
When driving with an insufficient battery
voltage such as when the engine is jump
started, the ABS warning light may illumi-
nate. This is due to the low battery voltage
and does not indicate a malfunction.
When the battery becomes fully charged,
the light will turn off. &
Brake system
warning light
WARNING
. Driving with the brake system
warning light on is dangerous.
This indicates your brake system
may not be working properly. If
the light remains illuminated,
have the brakes inspected by a
SUBARU dealer immediately.
. If at all in doubt about whether
the brakes are operating prop-
erly, do not drive the vehicle.
Have your vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for re-
pair.
. If the brake system warning light
flashes, the electronic parking
brake system may be malfunc-
tioning. Immediately stop your
vehicle in a safe location, use
tire stops under the tires to
prevent the vehicle from moving
and contact your SUBARU deal-
er. For details, refer to “Electro-
nic parking brake ”F 7-31. NOTE .
When the ignition switch is turned to
the “LOCK ”position with the electronic
parking brake applied, the brake sys-
tem warning light remains illuminated
for approximately 30 seconds and then
turns off.. When the electronic parking brake
switch is pressed to apply the electro-
nic parking brake while the ignition
switch is in the “LOCK ”position, the
brake system warning light illuminates,
remains illuminated for approximately
30 seconds and then turns off.. Even if the brake system warning
light flashes, if the warning light beha-
vior is as described in the following
examples, the electronic parking brake
system is not malfunctioning.
–The warning light turns off when
the electronic parking brake is ap-
plied or released. – The warning light turns off when
the ignition switch is turned to the “ ON ”position again.
. The brake system warning light may
flash immediately after the engine is
started. However, it is not malfunction-
ing if the warning light turns off after
the electronic parking brake is re-leased. . The brake system warning light may Instruments and controls
3-17
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3-18Instruments and controls
flash after the electronic parking brake
is frequently applied and released.
However, the electronic parking brake
system is not malfunctioning if the light
turns off for a short period of time.
This light has the following functions: ! Parking brake warning
The light illuminates with the parking
brake applied while the ignition switch is
in the “ON ”position. It turns off when the
parking brake is released. ! Brake fluid level warning
This light illuminates when the brake fluid
level has dropped to near the “MIN ”level
of the brake fluid reservoir with the ignition
switch in the “ON ”position and with the
parking brake released.
If the brake system warning light should
illuminate while driving (with the parking
brake released and with the ignition switch
positioned in “ON ”), it could be an indica-
tion of leaking of brake fluid or worn brake
pads. If this occurs, immediately stop the
vehicle at the nearest safe place and
check the brake fluid level. If the fluid level
is below the “MIN ”mark in the reservoir,
do not drive the vehicle. Have the vehicle
towed to the nearest SUBARU dealer for
repair. !
Electronic Brake Force Distribution
(EBD) system warning
The brake system warning light also
illuminates if a malfunction occurs in the
EBD system. In that event, it illuminates
together with the ABS warning light.
The EBD system may be malfunctioning if
the brake system warning light and ABS
warning light illuminate simultaneously
during driving.
Even if the EBD system fails, the conven-
tional braking system will still function.
However, the rear wheels will be more
prone to locking when the brakes are
applied harder than usual and the vehi-cle ’s motion may therefore become some-
what harder to control.
If the brake system warning light and ABS
warning light illuminate simultaneously,
take the following steps:
1. Stop the vehicle in the nearest safe,
flat place.
2. Shut down the engine, then restart it.
3. Release the parking brake. If both
warning lights turn off, the EBD system
may be malfunctioning.
Drive carefully to the nearest SUBARU
dealer and have the system inspected.
4. If both warning lights illuminate again
and remain illuminated after the engine
has been restarted, shut down the engine again, apply the parking brake, and check
the brake fluid level. Refer to
“Brake fluid ”
F 11-25.
5. If the brake fluid level is not below the“ MIN ”mark, the EBD system may be
malfunctioning. Drive carefully to the
nearest SUBARU dealer and have the
system inspected.
6. If the brake fluid level is below the “ MIN ”mark, DO NOT drive the vehicle.
Instead, have the vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for repair. ! Electronic parking brake system warning
The brake system warning light flashes
when the electronic parking brake system
is malfunctioning. If the warning light
flashes, promptly park in a safe location
as soon as possible and contact your
SUBARU dealer.
The brake system warning light remains
illuminated when the parking brake cannot
be released even if the parking brake
switch is pulled. For details, refer to“ Electronic parking brake ”F 7-31.
! Parking brake apply inhibit warning
The brake system warning light flashes for
10 seconds and a chirp sound will be
heard if the parking brake switch is
operated when the parking brake cannot

be applied. !Frequent operation warning
The brake system warning light flashes for
20 seconds and a chirp sound will be
heard if the parking brake switch is
operated too frequently. In this case, the
operation of the parking brake switch is
restricted to protect the electronic parking
brake system. NOTE
Wait until the warning light turns off. ! Emergency released warning
The brake system warning light flashes
when the parking brake is automatically
released in case of an emergency. & Hill Holder indicator light
WARNING
If the Hill Holder indicator light does
not illuminate even when the Hill
Holder switch is pressed to activate
the Hill Holder function, the electro-
nic parking brake system may be
malfunctioning. Immediately stop
the vehicle in a safe location and
contact your SUBARU dealer. The light illuminates when the Hill Holder
switch is pressed to activate the Hill
Holder function. For details about the Hill
Holder function,
“Hill Holder function ”F 7-
32.
& Low fuel warning light
The low fuel warning light illuminates
when the tank is nearly empty approxi-
mately 2.6 US gal (10.0 liters, or 2.2 Imp
gal). It only operates when the ignition
switch is in the “ON ”position.
NOTE
This light does not turn off unless the
tank is replenished up to an internal
fuel quantity of approximately 3.7 US
gal (14 liters, 3.1 Imp gal).
CAUTION
Promptly put fuel in the tank when-
ever the low fuel warning light
illuminates. Engine misfires as a
result of an empty tank could cause
damage to the engine. &
Door open indicator light
When any of the doors, the rear gate
(Outback) or the trunk lid (Legacy) is not
fully closed, the door open indicator light
illuminates. This function is effective even
if the ignition switch is in the “LOCK ”or
“ Acc ”position or the key is removed from
the ignition switch.
The open door is indicated by the corre-
sponding part of the door open warninglight.
Always make sure this light is not illumi-
nated before you start to drive. & Windshield washer
fluid warning light
This light illuminates when the fluid level in
the windshield washer fluid tank de-
creases to the lower limit (approximately
0.6 US qt, 0.6 liter, 0.5 Imp qt). Instruments and controls
3-19
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3-20Instruments and controls
&All-Wheel Drive
warning light (AT and
CVT models)
WARNING
Continued driving with the AWD
warning light flashing can lead to
powertrain damage. If the AWD
warning light flashes, promptly park
in a safe place then check whether
all four tires are the same diameter
and whether any of the tires has a
puncture or has lost air pressure for
some other reason.
NOTE
If the temporary spare tire is used, the
AWD warning light may flash. Use of
the temporary spare tire should there-
fore be restricted to the minimum time
necessary. Replace the temporary
spare tire with a conventional tire as
soon as possible.
This light flashes if the vehicle is driven
with tires of different diameters fitted on its
wheels or with the air pressure exces-
sively low in any of its tires. &
Vehicle Dynamics
Control warning light/
Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol operation indicatorlight
!Vehicle Dynamics Control warning light
CAUTION
The Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem provides its ABS control
through the electrical circuit of the
ABS system. Accordingly, if the ABS
is inoperative, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system becomes unable to
provide ABS control. As a result, the
Vehicle Dynamics Control system
becomes inoperative, causing the
warning light to illuminate. Although
both the Vehicle Dynamics Control
and ABS systems are inoperative in
this case, the ordinary functions of
the brake system are still available.
You will be safe while driving in this
condition, but drive carefully and
have your vehicle checked at a
SUBARU dealer as soon as possi-ble. NOTE .
If the electrical circuit of the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system itself mal-
functions, the warning light only illumi-
nates. At this time, the ABS (Anti-lock
Brake System) remains fully opera-tional.. The warning light illuminates when
the electronic control system of the
ABS/Vehicle Dynamics Control systemmalfunctions.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
probably inoperative under any of the
following conditions. Have your vehicle
checked at a SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately. . The warning light does not illuminate
when the ignition switch is turned to the “ ON ”position.
. The warning light illuminates while the
vehicle is running. NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as
described in the following examples,
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system
may be considered normal. . The warning light illuminates right
after the engine is started but turns off
immediately and remains off.. The warning light illuminates after
the engine has started and turns off

while the vehicle is subsequently being driven..The warning light illuminates during
driving, but turns off immediately and
remains off. ! Vehicle Dynamics Control opera-
tion indicator light
The indicator light flashes during activa-
tion of the skid suppression function and
during activation of the traction controlfunction. NOTE . The light may remain illuminated for
a short period of time after the engine
has been started, especially in cold
weather. This does not indicate the
existence of a problem. The light
should turn off as soon as the engine
has warmed up.. The indicator light illuminates when
the engine has developed a problem
and the CHECK ENGINE warning light/
malfunction indicator light is on.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
probably malfunctioning under the follow-
ing condition. Have your vehicle checked
at a SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. . The light does not turn off even after
the lapse of several minutes (the engine
has warmed up) after the engine has started.
& Vehicle Dynamics
Control OFF indicatorlight
The light illuminates when the Vehicle
Dynamics Control OFF switch is pressed
to deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
probably malfunctioning under any of the
following conditions. Have your vehicle
checked at a SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately. .The light does not illuminate when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”
position.. The light does not turn off even after a
period of approximately 2 seconds after
the ignition switch has been turned to the“ ON ”position.
& Security indicator light
This indicator light shows the status of the
alarm system. It also indicates operation
of the immobilizer system. !Alarm system
It blinks to show the driver the operational
status of the alarm system. For detailed
information, refer to “Alarm system ”F 2- 15. !
Immobilizer system
This light blinks approximately 60 seconds
after the ignition switch is turned from“ ON ”position to the “Acc ”or “LOCK ”
position or immediately after the key is
pulled out. Refer to “Immobilizer ”F 2-3.
If the indicator light does not flash, it may
indicate that immobilizer system may be
malfunctioning. Contact your nearest
SUBARU dealer immediately.
In the event that an unauthorized key (for
example, an unauthorized duplicate) is
used, the security indicator light illumi-nates. NOTE
Even if the security indicator light
flashes irregularly or its fuse blows
(the light does not flash if its fuse is
blown), the immobilizer system will
function normally. Instruments and controls
3-21
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&Cruise control indica-
tor light
This light illuminates when the “CRUISE ”
main switch is pressed to activate the
cruise control function. NOTE . If you press the main switch button
while turning the ignition switch “ON ”,
the cruise control function is deacti-
vated and the “CRUISE ”indicator light
flashes. To reactivate the cruise control
function, turn the ignition switch back
to the “Acc ”or “LOCK ”position, and
then turn it again to the “ON ”position.
. If this indicator light and the CHECK
ENGINE warning light/malfunction in-
dicator light flash simultaneously dur-
ing driving, have the vehicle checked
by your nearest SUBARU dealer.
& Cruise control set in-
dicator light
This light illuminates when vehicle speed
has been set to use the cruise controlfunction. &
Headlight indicator light
This indicator light illuminates under the
following conditions. .when the light switch is turned to the
“
” or “”position
. when the light switch is in the “AUTO ”
position and the headlights illuminate automatically & Front fog light indicator
light (if equipped)
This indicator light illuminates while the
front fog lights are illuminated. Clock NOTE
Your SUBARU dealer can change the
settings of activating/deactivating the
automatic adjustment of the clock by
the GPS (Global Positioning System)
(for models with the genuine SUBARU
navigation system). Contact your
SUBARU dealer for details.
The clock shows the time while the
ignition switch is in the
“Acc ”or “ON ”
position.
To adjust the time shown by the clock,
press the “+ ” button or the “ ” button. If
you press the “+ ” button, the indicated
time will change in one-minute incre-
ments. If you press the “ ” button, the
Instruments and controls
3-23
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22 to 122 8F( 30 to 50 8C).
The indicator can give a false reading
under any of the following conditions: . When there is too much sun.
. During idling; while running at low
speeds in a traffic jam; when the engine
is restarted immediately following a shut-down. . When the actual outside temperature
falls outside the specified indicator range. ! Road surface freeze warning indi- cation
1) U.S. spec. models
2) Except U.S. spec. models
When the outside temperature drops to 37 8F(3 8C) or lower, the temperature
indication flashes to show that the road surface may be frozen.
If the outside temperature drops to 37
8F
(3 8C) or lower while the display is giving
an indication other than the outside
temperature, the display switches to the
outside temperature indication and flashes
for 5 seconds before returning to its
original indication.
If the display is already indicating an
outside temperature of 37 8F(3 8C) or lower
when the ignition switch is turned to the“ ON ”position, the indication does not
flash. NOTE
The outside temperature indication
may differ from the actual outside
temperature. The road surface freeze
warning indication should be treated
only as a guide. Be sure to check the
condition of the road surface beforedriving. &
Average fuel consumption
1) U.S. spec. models
2) Except U.S. spec. models
This indication shows the average rate of
fuel consumption since the trip meter was
last reset.
Pressing the trip knob toggles the indica-
tion between the average fuel consump-
tion corresponding to the A trip meter
indication and the average fuel consump-
tion corresponding to the B trip meterindication.
When either of the trip meter indications is
reset, the corresponding average fuel
consumption value is also reset. Instruments and controls
3-25
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Light control switch
The light control switch only operates
when the key is inserted into the ignitionswitch.
Regardless of the position of the light
control switch, the illuminated lights are
turned off when the key is removed from
the ignition switch. NOTE .Even if the key is removed from the
ignition switch, the lights can be illu-
minated by operating the light control
switch position from “OFF ”to “
”
and/or “”.
. If the driver ’s door is opened while
the lights are illuminated and the key is
removed from the ignition switch, the
chirp sound informs the driver that the
lights are illuminated.
CAUTION
. Use of any lights for a long period
of time while the engine is not
running can cause the battery todischarge.
. Before leaving the vehicle, make
sure that the light control switch
is turned to the “OFF ”position. If
the vehicle is left unattended for a long time with the light control
switch set to a position otherthan
“OFF ”, the battery may be
discharged.
& Headlights
To turn on the headlights, turn the knob on
the end of the turn signal lever.
first position
Instrument panel illumination, tail lights,
front side marker lights and license plate
lights are on.
second position
Headlights, instrument panel illumination,
front side marker lights, tail lights and
license plate lights are on.
: Auto on/off headlights
When the ignition switch is in the “ON ”
position, the headlights, instrument panel
illumination, front side marker lights, tail
lights and license plate lights are auto-
matically on or off depending on the level
of the ambient light. NOTE
The sensitivity of the auto on/off head-
lights can be changed by your
SUBARU dealer. Contact your SUBARU
dealer for details. ! Sensor for the auto on/off head- lights
The sensor is on the instrument panel as
shown in the illustration. Instruments and controls
3-27
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